Maybe It's Time
by Hopewords
Summary: There is something going on, and Ren is trying to figure it out. Will this mystery force him to reveal everything?


A.N. This is the first story I have written in a long time, but I really want to finish this one so I am not going to make it very long. Italics are _thoughts._ Everything in brackets are effects like sounds [Whoosh!]. Conversations are outlined with quotes "Hi!".

I do not own anything, the characters and everything belong to Skip Beat!

Questions

 _The shadows really look foreboding this morning._ Ren tucked his left arm under his head and allowed the hand that just had his phone tucked against his ear to drop down on the bed.

 _Why are my parents coming to the ceremony tonight? Is something wrong?_ Ren shifted in bed to look at the clock. It was only 5:00 in the morning, still hours too early to think about getting ready for the day. He shifted; the cold sweat from his nightmare about Rick caused the sheets to stick to his form.

 _In that case, why did the boss warn me about it? Lory isn't the type to give out warnings; he prefers his amazing surprises and parties. There must be something going on._ Ren sat up and curled his arm around one knee as he propped his chin up and continued to ponder the problem silently.

 _My parents have respected my wishes for a long time._ He closed his eyes tightly and sighed heavily, the shadows highlighting the sharp contours of his face. The image of a figure with short caramel hair and a cheerful smile flashed into his head and he smiled slightly. _Maybe it is time for me to make amends with them. I'll never forget about what happened with Rick, but the time that I have to spend with the ones I care about is limited, if you really think about it._

 _Can I really take that step though? Will they…? I mean will it be worth it? All of the heartache that will come with integrating Kuon Hizuri back into society?_

Kuon stared forward blankly, pondering on the strange and new turn that his thoughts had taken him. He thought again about the supportive people that have surrounded him for so long. _Dad, Mom, Lory, Yashiro… Kyoko. Would I be able to do it? How would they react? Will they shun me? In the end can I really overcome my demons?_

[ _BRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNGG!]_

Kuon started in surprise and looked over at the clock. _I can't believe how rapidly the time passed by! And…_ He glanced down at the floor as he swung his feet off the bed. _I haven't let Kuon out willingly in a long time._

Walking over to the bathroom Kuon's thoughts drew back to the cheerful woman who gave him the courage to even think about bringing Kuon back into the world. _Her determination to overcome her shortcomings, her caring heart, her passion that shines in whatever she does…_ Flashes of the woman that had made such an impact in his life swirled about his head as he headed towards the bathroom. Kuon flashed an uninhibited, boyish grin for the first time in a long time at the mirror. _I never would have gotten this far in the acting business if I had been afraid to make mistakes!_ His fairy green eyes sparkled as he continued to think about it. _She trusts me now she wouldn't hate me… But…_ Old insecurities came back and pulled his mood back down. He ran his hand through his hair and leaned forward to make sure that the brown dye disguising his hair did not expose any of his blond roots. _She has been betrayed so many times already. What will she think when I reveal that I am Corn, the "fairy" that comforted her so many times back in her childhood. I would just crush her dreams. She would never forgive me for keeping this charade up for so long._

Kuon sighed again and leaned over the counter again to retrieve his contact case. He unscrewed the top and gazed down at the brown lens that would complete his transformation into Tsuruga Ren once more.

 _Not yet._

The persona of Ren Tsuruga came back to the forefront as the last contact was in place, and the famous actor turned away to finish getting ready for his busy day, pushing aside the many problems that he had for a later time.

Ren stepped into the room and paused to enjoy the fresh blast of air conditioning that hit as he stepped over the threshold, never allowing his patented smile to falter. He was used to the bright and blinding flashes that accompanied these events by now. It just came along with being the number one actor in Japan. Ren strode confidently into the room, feeling the familiar sensation of many eyes being drawn to the entrance as he came in. His dark hair, hooded eyes and height served to make him stand out wherever he happened to go. He glanced down at his trusted friend and manager Yashiro who was cutting a way for Ren through the press. _I don't know what I would do without him._

Pausing again to pose for another picture, Ren made his way towards the other side of the room where he could see Lory. _Maybe now I can get some answers_. He wouldn't have a lot of time to talk before the award ceremony began, but just a few words would be enough to put to rest all of the worries that had been plaguing him all day. Even Yashiro had been glancing at him worriedly all day, though he probably thought it was some problem with Kyoko that made his client so introspective. Passing by another group of actors that he nodded to, Ren happened to glance at the stage.

The theme of this award ceremony was the Secret Garden, the two 'stone' towers surrounding the stage had a flowing fabric surrounding them that made Ren think of clouds. The backdrop had a tasteful mix of lights, mesh and flowers, that once combined with the different platforms that were spread out across the stage at varying heights, formed the perfect garden. _Once she gets here Kyoko-chan is going to love the fairy stage._

Ren's eyes softened before his gaze sharpened and he turned back to work his way through the crowd. The throng of people shifted again as he slid by a couple of old coworkers from Dark Moon and he exchanged pleasantries before heading back towards where Lory was still flamboyantly showing off his new costume to a couple that looked strangely familiar… _Mom. Dad._

The flow of the multitude moved again and Ren could see the famous Kuu and Julie Hizuri fluttering around, entertaining the crowd along with Lory with their stories and antics. Ren hesitated, old fear gripping him again before he moved to take a step forward.

"Tsuruga-san!"

One part of Tsuruga Ren's persona that aggravated him the most was his need to always be the perfect gentleman. Ren turned, his smile sparkling slightly and exchanged greetings with a couple of new directors that wanted him to star in their products.

One director was particularly insistent on garnering the attention of the star, not deterred by Ren's practiced lines that did not promise anything but sounded good. Yashiro stepped in, seemingly out of thin air, and with a smile that put Ren's sparkly angry grin to shame, shook off the persistent director with a few words and a reminder to call the office if he wanted to have his proposal considered.

Ren glanced down at Yashiro as they walked away from the mini crowd. Yashiro was pulling out his gloves so that he could make some notes on his phone. "Are you sure you weren't a ninja in some past life of yours?"

Yashiro's lips twitched for a moment out of their stoic mask. "I'd probably do better in the ninja career than this. What self respecting manager has to put on gloves all of the time just to send a text?"

Ren's public smile stretched into a genuine grin before he went back into work mode. The bantering had made his shoulders relax, the some of the tension that he had been holding onto had slipped away. You could always count on Yashiro to lighten up the suffocating atmosphere that surrounded these events.

With Yukihito Yashiro acting as a buffer through the multitude of people, Ren was able to make his way to his seat relatively quickly.

Once they made it to their seats Ren exhaled slowly to mask the obvious sigh of relief that wanted to escape. His contacts were bothering him and he was already eager for the day's completion. Even for him and his work ethic, that day had been hectic. There had been two modeling shoots in the morning followed by a quick costume change into Cain Heel, who had to reshoot one scene that afternoon due to an actress quitting a couple of days before. _Perhaps I need to be less intense in those scenes. This was the second one to leave Tragic Marker._ After that headache he had to transform back into Tsuruga Ren and be the perfect gentleman throughout the evening. _And on top of everything else, there is that mysterious problem that involves my parents…_ Ren glanced to the front of the room right in front of the stage. His dad had a smile plastered on his face as he talked with the head of security while his mom sat daintily in her seat, looking every bit of the model that she still was.

As more people settled into their chairs in preparation for the show, Ren broke away from the sight of his parents and ran his eyes over the crowd. _Kyoko isn't here yet. I wonder how long it takes Woods-san to assist Kyoko into something more suitable for this venue._

Ren covered his mouth and coughed politely into his hand to hide the grin that was making its way across his face. _I can only imagine the reaction that everyone would have if she came as Setsuka Heel._

"Ren? What are you doing?"

Ren looked up and smiled lightly and waved a hand at Yashiro. "It's nothing, just had an itch in my throat."

"Tsuruga-sempai! You had better not have done something to get yourself sick again! You're not coming down with something are you?"

Ren masked his slight twitch in surprise by turning to welcome the newcomers and grinning cheerfully. "Mogami-san, Kotonomi-san, Amamiya-san, so good to see you."

"Tsuruga-sempai! Don't even think that I will let you distract me from hearing your answer!"

"I wouldn't dream of it Mogami-san, might I just say that you ladies look lovely tonight."

Kyoko blinked in surprise before her cheeks took on a red hue and she spluttered, "Playboy! I won't let you and your evil playboy ways get in the way of your health, this is for your own good! Did you even eat anything today?" Her golden eyes cut away from where they were holding Ren in his spot over to Yashiro, whose snickering turned into spluttering at the thought of facing on the fierce girl alone.

Ren opened his mouth to protest, he had meant the compliment sincerely, and the bento he had for lunch was more than enough to fill him up! However, a snicker interrupted their debate and Ren shifted his focus from the lovely vision that Kyoko presented in her blue dress to see Kotonomi-san and Amamiya-san with big matching grins on their faces.

"Chiori, see what I meant? Two lovebirds in their natural habitat."

Amamiya-san placed one hand on her hip as she popped it out to the side and brought up the other hand to rest one finger lightly on her cheek. She closed one eye cutely and peered intently at the flustered couple before nodding her head gravely. "They do make a pretty cute couple. We are going to be the only two Love-Me members left pretty soon aren't we Kanae?"

"MOKO-SAN! CHIORI-SAN! How could you say such indecent things! There is no way that such a famous actor like Tsuruga-sempai would ever want to date a lowly kouhai like me!"

Kyoko continued to bluster on to her good friends that make up the Love-Me section of LME. Ren tuned out her words as his thoughts drew inward. _She never denied the statement about how we would make a cute couple! No, she is Love Me number one for a reason. Maybe I am just getting my hopes up._

Kuon glanced up again at the trio of ladies who were startled out of their discussion from the sound of the announcer calling for everyone's attention. Kyoko looked about the area for a convenient spot before Kuon stood up and gallantly gestured to the empty three seats to the right of him.

Kyoko squeaked and mumbled something about an Emperor of the Night. A little whoosh of air escaped Kuon's lips as Yashiro elbowed him discretely in the side. "Ren, your face."

Ren pushed back Kuon and smiled gently at Kyoko softly promising to be on his best behavior tonight. He ignored her friends (who were smirking, enjoying the free entertainment) and Yashiro (who was on the verge of squealing in delight) as he assisted Kyoko into the seat next to him.

"Are you planning on standing for the ceremony then?" Ren's smile shone, and though Kotonomi-san and Amamiya-san did not notice his slight annoyance with their antics, he heard Kyoko squeak behind him. _Why is it that she can always see through me?_

Ren seated himself into his chair again after the ladies had passed him by, and as aggravating as the two could be at times he was glad they were there for Kyoko-chan. _In the end, I've had to sit near worse people than this. This is probably the first ceremony that I have sat with people that I can consider possible friends._ He glanced off to his side, as the lights went dimmer, to see the stars in Kyoko's eyes grow larger in delight. The stage looked strange and mysterious as the lights on the flowers started to show off their true purpose. _Hopefully I'll be able to take a spot in her heart one day, along with her fairies._

Ren glanced off to his right side again and, sure that the attention was on the stage now, allowed himself one swift tender, unguarded smile flash across his face. _Technically, I already have a spot there as Corn._

 _Please Review!_


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